Lendosa
The Lendosan Confederation (Lendian: Confederatio Lendosano) is a union of six nominally independent states: Lendia, Piolsa, Rabel, Rioch, Kha, and Ranha. It occupies the most of the Western Isles, an archipelago to the west of Longerath. Administration Government The Lendosan government is fairly complicated, by some standards. This owes partly to the nature of the state (which has both federal and national institutions existing alongside each other) and partly to the strong antipathy of Lendosans towards the concentration of power with a single person or group. Lendosa does not have a single head of state. Lendosa's government is divided into three basic branches, labeled "autocratic", "democratic", and "meritocratic". The "autocratic" branch is essentially like a Constitutional Monarchy or a ceremonial presidency - one powerful official, called a Praetor, has power to check the excesses of other parts of government, and to respond decisively in an emergency. In normal circumstances, however, the Praetor's powers are dormant. The Praetor is jointly appointed by the heads of state of each member nation (three elected leaders, two constitutional monarchs, and one religious leader). The "democratic" branch consists of an elected Senate, which is the driving force in the Lendosan government. The Senate does not actually take action itself - it has no power to make laws, for example. It does, however, issue directives to all other parts of government. The Senate choses twenty-five of its members to serve as "Administrators", and ensure that the bureaucracy is following the plans the Senate has set out. There is also a Consul, who oversees the Administrators themselves. Members of the Senate always belong to a political party, of which there are many - no party ever holds a majority, meaning that Senate decisions often require long hours of negotiation between different factions. The "meritocratic" branch of government is the Lendosan bureaucracy. The bureaucracy has a high level of autonomy - while it is required to carry out the directives set out by the Senate, it has free reign in any area that the Senate has not given specific instructions. In general, however, Senate directives are detailed enough that the bureaucracy does not have too much freedom in interpretation. Offices in the bureaucracy are filled by strict procedures in which civil servants confidentially assess the capability and qualifications of their peers. In addition to all this, each member state has its own internal government. Lendia, Rabel, and Ranha are all republics, and elect a legislature. Piolsa is a constitutional monarchy, while Rioch is a more traditional (although not, in practice, absolute) monarchy. Kha is a "constitutional theocracy". Administrative Divisions The most important political divisions in Lendosa are between the six component states of the Confederation. Lendia and Piolsa are the dominant states, but four of the smaller island groups constitute independent members of the Confederation, with all the rights that entails. In addition, each member state is divided up into a number of Regions - the two large states are divided into nine, while the four smaller ones are divided into three (although in fact, all four are actually smaller than a single region of the larger states). Political Parties There are currently twelve political parties operating at the highest level of Lendosan politics. All such parties must be officially registered with the Senate Secretariat, the office which coordinates the functioning of the Senate. Among the requirements for registration are a membership of at least ten thousand voters, a policy platform which is significantly distinct from any pre-existing party, a name which does not mislead or confuse voters as to a party's nature or goals, and a committment to restrict itself to peaceful and lawful forms of political activity. The twelve major Lendosan parties are the Balance Party, Burovians, Communists, Ecotopians, Fascists, Imperial Party, Libertarian Party, Nationalists, Progressive Party, Reform Party, Socialists and the Values Party. History (Main article: History of Lendosa) Lendosa has a long and rather complicated history. Originally, the islands were home to great civilizations such as the Regnosians, the Kunn, the Paspalhites, and others. These cultures were displaced around two thousand years ago, when the islands were settled by a wave of people from mainland Longerath (mostly the Liliani Empire). The native peoples were largely assimilated by the colonists, although they survive to this day in places like Rabel and Ranha. The colonists established a large number of small states, which often fought each other. Gradually, the states began to merge, although this process was interrupted when Lendia was invaded and conquered by the Liliani Empire. Eventually, Lendia gained independence as a single state, and Piolsa unified of its own accord. Lendia and Piolsa then merged into a single country, called Lendosa, to ward off further outside aggression. This "First Confederation" lasted until The Plague swept across the world, at which point the islands collapsed into anarchy. Eventually, small states were established throughout the former Lendosa, which fell to fighting each other again. Eventually, the Lendian Revolution established a Lendian Republic, although this was quickly subverted by one of its generals and turned into the Lendian Empire. This Empire went on to establish its authority not only over the former Lendosa but over many other states as well, notably Neoliliana and Caboteniasa. The Empire swung between rule by the emperors and rule by an elected Council, with neither ever gaining absolute control. Eventually, the Empire began to crumble, with various outer territories seeking independence. The Empire was dissolved, being briefly replaced by a democratic federation - the Free Confederacy of Lendian Republics - before splintering. The heartland of the Empire, consisting of Lendia itself plus the sister isle of Piolsa, formed a reconstituted Lendosan Confederation, bringing us to today. Geography Lendosa is an island state. By a considerable margin, the largest islands are Lendia and Piolsa. Around the coasts of these islands are other smaller groups, such as Rabel, Pulasa, Ranha, Lavaia, and Kha. The Rioch group and the tiny island of Ysandoi are the only ones to be any significant distance from the larger islands. The largest cities in Lendosa are, in order: Gloria Libertatis (14.7 million people), Zolariza (6.0 million), Riva (4.7 million), Savaboda (4.0 million), Tiris (3.2 million), Valarium (3.2 million), Asala (2.5 million), and the capital Colchisia (2.3 million). Demographics Lendosa has a population of around 131 million people. Most of these live in Lendia and Piolsa, and are of the Lendian ethnic group. Each of the smaller states (Rabel, Rioch, Kha, Ranha) is based around its own ethnicity, and several smaller groups also exist on the larger islands. National Symbols The Lendosan Confederation's flag was first used by the Lendosan Alliance, the first united Lendosan state. The central symbol, called the drinisi, is an ancient emblem for the six traditional Virtues, although in modern times, many people interpret it as representing Lendosa's six member states. The gold stripes are believed to have represented the two main islands, Lendia and Piolsa, although they are not given this meaning today. The white background was intended to represent peace. Economy Lendosa, home to some major private and state-owned companies, can be considered a major economical power. Its economy is, basically, capitalist, although with some heavy government control in certain aspects. Its main exports are automobiles, tropical fruits and electronics. Some peculiar aspects in Lendosan economy includes the guilds and the Alcintra. Culture (Main article: Cultures of Lendosa) The Lendosan Confederation's population can be divided into twelve basic cultural groups. These groups are not clear-cut, and any comments about them are, by necessity, generalisations, but they nevertheless represent distinct substrata of overall Lendosan culture. These groups are recognised both by scholars and by ordinary citizens - one's cultural group is generally a source of pride, and Lendosans are more likely to identify themselves by cultural group rather than, say, by religion. Languages Most inhabitants of Lendosa speak the Lendian language, or one of its dialects, but minority groups also retain their own languages. These groups include speakers of Rabeli, Riochan, Ranhi, Teldian, Kha and Sargonese. Religion Cruisians are the largest group, followed by the native faiths of Larism (a meditative, philosophical belief) and Veldanism (a polytheistic, nature-centered belief). See also Official Website ---- Category:Nations